RNA for Agriculture: from Discovery to Commercialisation

Australia’s $100 billion agriculture sector spends around $2-3 billion annually on crop protection chemicals. As markets globally move towards reduced pesticide use and stricter residue limits, RNA based solutions offer new pathways to support environmental sustainability and market access.

Recent innovations in RNA-based biopesticides offer a transformative new frontier – the development of a precise, sustainable alternative beyond conventional chemicals to protect our food, livestock feed, fuel, and native crops. It uses RNA interference – a natural process where RNA from the pest or pathogen switches off its essential genes, interfering with its survival. The trigger molecule is double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which can be applied as a sprayable biological to selectively target pests and pathogens while minimising the impact on beneficial organisms and the environment.

In this seminar, Professor Neena Mitter will share over 10 years of her pioneering research on RNA based biopesticides across the design-delivery continuum. Neena will highlight the critical elements required to move innovation from concept to impact – including regulation, social licence, sovereign manufacturing capability, and collaboration across research, industry, and government – to position Australia at the forefront of precision crop protection and a resilient food future.

About the Speaker

Professor Neena Mitter

Professor Neena Mitter is a globally recognised agricultural biotechnologist and a pioneer in RNA‑based crop protection, with over 30 years of research experience delivering sustainable solutions for food security and resilient agriculture. As Director of the ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection, she has led pioneering research in sprayable, non-GM and precise RNA‑based biopesticides and is a co-inventor of the BioClay™ platform for RNA delivery.

Her research has helped advance RNA‑based crop protection from fundamental discovery towards translation, supporting field evaluation, regulatory understanding, and pathways to commercial adoption. She has secured more than $120 million in research funding, published over 200 research articles, and built collaborations across academia, industry, government and international organisations.

Neena is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Charles Sturt University, where she continues to champion innovation, sovereign capability and sustainable agricultural transformation.

BREAKFAST SEMINAR

The Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series is held at the Strangers’ Function Room at Parliament of NSW, Sydney.

Where: Parliament of NSW. Entry is via Macquarie Street, Sydney. Guests are required to undergo routine security screening.

Time: Breakfast, tea and coffee are served from 7.30am.

The seminar starts at 8am sharp and concludes by 9am. Tea and coffee is also available afterwards.

RSVP: Monday 21 September 2026

TO REGISTER: to come

IMPORTANT BOOKING INFORMATION
When making multiple bookings, please include the names of all who are attending, to ensure they have a nametag on the day.

For further information or for any accessibility requests, email events.rsvp@chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au or call (02) 9228 3347